Brief Update on Alamo Ranch (San Antonio, Taft: real estate, condos, new home)

[AirForceDoc]

For those interested in the goings on over here, I'll periodically keep you apprised as things change.


Here's an article (for Steel) that I found a while back while researching AR regarding Toyota actually BUILDING homes. Apparently they've done this in a small scale before. Now they're testing the waters and teaming up with Ventana Homes:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business....1c3428d0.html

I drive around the community as often as I can and as for what's new, DR Horton appears to have begun their high-end series homes ($300+K) over the hill on the back side of AR. It's a pretty good location, although you still can probably hear the National Shooting Range firing at their clay pidgeons just a quarter mile away (I think that's why Pulte sold such a sweet piece of hilltop land to Horton).

There is a new road that hasn't opened yet called Lone Star Parkway. It connects with Culebra and is somwhat of a windey incline that was cut right through the trees so it's going to be an enjoyable drive, and probably will be my preferred entrance to AR. The road is half way paved, but you can see the dirt road from Culebra if you look through the brush. It's just after or just before Taft (I always mix that up). Along this road North of AR Parkway are new Kimball homes and I think Ryland too. Being so affordable, I thought they'd be boxes but the model they've opened is quite attractive and these might be some of the best deals for investors. Keep in mind though that across from them on the other side of Lone Star is planned to be some condos and multifamily dwellings.

South of AR Pkwy, down LoneStar you have the Pulte community on your right and the Pacific homes on the left. The Pacific homes have built a nice new rock wall and have a bunch of new homes going up. Take a drive down there and you'll be impressed. There is a plan for a community center over there, but it's not been started from what I can tell. The pulte community center is about 1/3 done. The project manager told me they'd be done by early spring, but with all this rain, who knows. Looks like they're going slowly now. A new gazebo is nearly finished and they're trying to get the rock siding onto the main building. Still no pools. The Woodbury Grant section of AR is moving along nicely. They'll probably close in 1-2 years at this rate.

If you drive farther back south down Lone Star you'll notice that this road is a lot longer than you expected. It eventually wraps around back to the Dell Web community. Now Dell Web is a completely different story. You're going to just have to go there and see what's going on. Quite a monster project, especially their community center. I am impressed and you'll be too. Anybody would want their grandparents to live in a place like this. You can tell it is designed for sociality among residents.

There are a couple more gated communities down lone star, all of these are tree-friendly enviroment friendly dwellings.

Also, I broke through the Road Closed signs and drove down the Wiseman Road extension outside loop 1604. It is completely finished and it goes all the way through and connects to some other road which name I forgot. It's on the tip of my tongue. Anyway, it might be goosenbacher or one of those roads that Military runs into out west.

I've not gone on a drive lately so I'll update you with more later on today or tomorrow. I'm thinking of going on a lazy rain drive this afternoon to see what more has been done down Lone Star.....


By the way, my wife and I took a drive through Briggs Ranch a few weeks ago. Talk about livin' large! Mabye after residency I'll buy a lot there.

[940]

Originally Posted by AirForceDoc

Also, I broke through the Road Closed signs and drove down the Wiseman Road extension outside loop 1604. It is completely finished and it goes all the way through and connects to some other road which name I forgot. It's on the tip of my tongue. Anyway, it might be goosenbacher or one of those roads that Military runs into out west.

Thanks for the good info. I'm always curious what's going on down there. The road you were referring to off Wiseman Blvd was most likely Talley Rd on the far west end of it. From a map that I saw concerning roads, it looks like Grosenbacher Rd will be extended further north towards Culebra and obviously will cross through Alamo Ranch. Wonder if it'll hook up to Lone Star Parkway further south of Del Webb as it heads north?

[210]

Has anyone heard about Luckey Ranch? That's going to be big too.

However, Kallison Ranch just north of Alamo Ranch is going to be extremely big, not as huge as Alamo Ranch but bigger than Stevens Ranch.

[TexasTeq]

I was wondering where everyone is getting these "new" maps that show 151 running straight through Alamo Ranch Parkway (the Pulte side). I've called the highway administration and they don't know anything about extending 151. Thanks is advance.

AirForceDoc, Lonestar Parkway has been open for sometime. My wife and bought or home in June and I've turning left off of Alamo Ranch Parkway to get in the backside of Volunteer. There are some very pretty David Weekly's going up, wish they'd been available when I moved down this summer. If you have Pulte sit back and count your money because the premier builders are going up off of Lonestar and it will only help our property values.

[940]

Originally Posted by TexasTeq

I was wondering where everyone is getting these "new" maps that show 151 running straight through Alamo Ranch Parkway (the Pulte side). I've called the highway administration and they don't know anything about extending 151. Thanks is advance.

This is an area map of NW and W San Antonio showing prospective new areas and the number of homes platted within each new development. The dotted lines are the proposed road extensions. Grosenbacher is shown to be extended through Alamo Ranch connecting to an existing road north of Culebra. Alamo Ranch Parkway is also shown extending from where 151 connects at 1604 heading straight west/northwest eventually ending at Hwy 211. A few commercial real estate site maps have Alamo Ranch Parkway and 151 as the same thing within the Alamo Ranch borders. That might be where some of the confusion comes from although I have seen it in quite a few area maps but nothing official from the highway administration. If this map isn't too clear, I can give a link to it as well...I think 210 also has these maps so maybe he can offer up a better view.

[210]

It's been well known that 151 will some day connect with 211.

[AirForceDoc]

Originally Posted by TexasTeq

I was wondering where everyone is getting these "new" maps that show 151 running straight through Alamo Ranch Parkway (the Pulte side). I've called the highway administration and they don't know anything about extending 151. Thanks is advance.

AirForceDoc, Lonestar Parkway has been open for sometime. My wife and bought or home in June and I've turning left off of Alamo Ranch Parkway to get in the backside of Volunteer. There are some very pretty David Weekly's going up, wish they'd been available when I moved down this summer. If you have Pulte sit back and count your money because the premier builders are going up off of Lonestar and it will only help our property values.

We do, in fact, live just off Lonestar so we must be neighbors. I agree, it's sure a nice place (they seem to be doing a lot on the amenity center today). I went and looked at the D. Weekly homes yesterday you are totally right, they are large (frame) and look to be everybit as nice as other Weekly and Newmark homes I've seen elsewhere. They also seem to have one of the best sites in AR to date....hilly, lots of oaks, even a little bit of a view.

There is a part of Lonestar though that isn't open up on the Northern end. This is the part after it crosses AR Parkway and goes into the Ryland and Kimball home section. It will eventually connect with Culebra, but that part is not yet complete. Looks to be an attractive entrance to Alamo Ranch when complete (lots of trees and somewhat windey).

So I also went and drove around yesterday, not much else new that I didn't report earlier, but those David Weekly homes seem to be going up now with quite a few lots available. People should snatch these while they're open.

One other thing, there is some sort of fairly small building going up at Culebra and Westwood loop on the Southwest corner. It appears they are leveling a plat and getting ready to place a foundation. No sign or anything to say what's going to be built. I also saw a bunch of about 10 or so rich looking Texans with those expensive cowboy hats and sportcoats all in a group with surveying equipment right where the Costco is going to be built. Maybe they're finally going to get started soon on the Marketplace.